35C Remarks on Certain Species of 



cate, and showing the volutions to the apex, but only the latter 

 " whitish beneath." It can scarcely be doubted that Say actu- 

 ally referred to H. nitens Mat. and Rack., noticing as a distin- 

 guishing character in II. glaphyra, that the volutions are not 

 so exhibited in the umbilicus. Sa} r describes three other 

 species of Helix as having the umbilicus "moderate" viz. 

 septemvolva, avara, and tridentata. As to the first he adds, " at- 

 tenuated to the apex so as to exhibit the remaining volutions," 

 to the second, " not exhibiting the volutions," but no further 

 detail is given as to the umbilicus of the third species. 



I know not how any one can assume that Say would have 

 described the umbilicus of a shell identical with the European 

 or American cellaria, in the language employed by him in his 

 diagnosis of glaphyra. The more I study his descriptions, the 

 more I appreciate his general acuteness and accuracy, and 

 believe that full justice has not been done to his labors. 



Say described II. ligera in 1821 as having the " umbilicus 

 very small," and remarked that it " approaches nearest to H. 

 glaphyra, but is readily distinguished by the greater convexity 

 of the spire, and the smaller umbilicus." 



This is relied upon as supporting the opinion that glaphyra 

 and cellaria are identical, or at least that the former and inor- 

 nata Binney are not so. 



H. inomata Say (1822), which is I consider II. laevigata 

 Raf. (Fer.), is said to have the " umbilicus small, profound," 

 and the species is described as having (irrespective of the 

 umbilicus), " a strong resemblance to II. ligera" Now I 

 must remark, that the umbilicus of II. glaphyra and II. avara 

 are described by Say in the same language, which would 

 equally well apply to that of II. inomata Binney, and further, 

 that the umbilicus of II. ligera is not only generally smaller 

 than that of II. inomata Binney, but is also less open, as the 

 columellar termination of the peristome is partially reflected 

 over, and curved around the perforation. 



The umbilicus of H. inomata Say {II. laevigata) is larger than 



